The Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom) has lined up several projects for this year that include more big races, exhibits and the first-ever Hall of Fame.
The programs stemmed from Philracom’s optimistic outlook after bouncing back in 2021 with bigger sales amounting to P2.3 billion, more than double it gained in 2020 (P1.1 billion) at the height of the pandemic.
“I’m very happy to report that we bounced back stronger last year compared to 2020,” Philracom chairman Reli De Leon said in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum held online.
De Leon said they plan to hold the inaugural Triple Crown stakes races later in the year featuring four-year-old and above horses, and the revival of the Araw Ng Maynila races, popularly known as the Gran Copa De Manila in time for the city’s celebration of its founding anniversary on June 24.
Then there’s also the staging of a special 2,400-meter distance race on September – the longest to be held in the country - a first ever Philippine Horseracing Expo at the World Trade by October, and the launching of the maiden Hall of Fame in local horseracing.
“Sabi ko nga 155 years na yung karera sa Pilipinas, the oldest in Asia, but this is the first time that we will be having our Hall of Fame awardees,” said De Leon.
“There are many first things to happen (in horseracing) this year. We’re trying to think out of the box projections or plans for us to have more exciting races to offer this year.”
For 2022, De Leon said his office is projecting a sales of at least P4.5 billion.
“Our contribution to the government last year was P680 million, so most probably this year, we will reach P900 million to P1 billon contribution for the government,” De Leon said.
The figures are attainable with the numerous stakes races to be held in the coming weeks, including the traditional Triple Crown series in the middle of the year.
And with the easing of health restrictions, De Leon is confident fans and supporters will be allowed to watch the races live.
“There is a provision by the government today that LGUs (Local Government Units) are the ones deciding the availability of people entering the race track. It is upon the jurisdiction of the LGU,” said De Leon. “Probably under Alert Level 2, siguro mga 20 percent of the sports fans will be around.”